CGIAR-CSI Annual Meeting 2009: Mapping Our Future. March 31 - April 4, 2009, ILRI Campus, Nairobi, Kenya

1. Nodes of Growth:
Improving legume
seed networks in
Kenya

2. Nodes of Growth: Improving
legume seed networks in Kenya
• Background
• Objectives
• Approach
– Products
– Partners
• Future

3. Background
• Tropical Legumes II project: seed
systems objective
• Ethiopia and Kenya
• Drought-prone areas
• Two million farmers increased access
to improved and preferred bean
varieties in target sites and beyond
• 750,000 small-holder farmers targeted
in Kenya

4. Elevation:
1800m
Rainfall:
800mm
Uni-modal
Elevation:
1300m
Rainfall:
850mm
Bimodal

5. Background
• Seeds produced by private sector
companies and community based
multipliers
• Distributed by NGO in small packs
• Questions:
1. Where are the seeds going
2. Do farmers know where to obtain seeds
3. How well are the improved seeds
adapted to these environments

6. Objective
• Ensure that more small-holder
producers are included in the ‘last ten
kilometres’

7. Approach
• Adoption of drought-tolerant
varieties depends on:
1. Sufficient seed stocks
2. Outlets of appropriate improved seeds
3. Access to outlets
4. Well-informed small-holder farmers
5. Demand for seed
6. Resources to buy seed

8. Approach
CIAT-TSBF/CNFA
Optimisation of input
stockists in Malawi
Objective: 80% of
population within 1 hour
of stockists

9. Activities
• 1. Data collection of locations of existing
seed outlets, road network and target
population in Kenya
• 2. Analysis of current accessibility to seed
outlets
• 3. Recommendations on location of future
potential outlet locations
• 4. Dissemination of maps to producers via
NGOs and extension service
• 5. Feasibility study for disseminating seed
information via mobile phones

10. 1. Data Collection - Roads

11. 1. Data Collection - Outlets
• Farm Input Promotions (FIPS) Africa Ltd.
• Leldet seeds Ltd.
• DSL Seeds Ltd.
• Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute

12. 2. Analysis of access to seed

13. 3. Recommendations

14. 4. Dissemination FIPS-Africa
• 2 User groups
– Researchers and seed suppliers
– Small-holder farmers
• Limited to areas where there is demand for
improved varieties (e.g. Kirinyaga & Makueni)
• Existing dissemination materials
• Potentially easy to adapt
• Seek agreement/options on content
• Multiple dissemination channels
• e.g. 1-2 development workers + 15 field
assistants per district

15. Harvest More Beans with Katumani Bean (KB - 9) from Leldet Ltd.
The Katumani bean (KB - 9) is early-maturing (60 days), high-yielding, sweet-tasting and quick
to cook. It is rapidly gaining popularity amongst farmers in Nzaui district.
Katumani bean (KB-9) Local variety
Farm Input Promotions Africa; 08.06.2005
Farm Input Promotions Africa; 05.07.2005
Farm Input Promotions Africa; 07.06.2005
The KB-9 bean is available in small 100 g packs for only KSh 10! Ask for seeds from your local agro-dealer!

16. Where to get KB9 in Nzaui district
Kilome agro-
dealers
Wote
inputs ltd
MK
Ltd
Kasikeu
stockists

17. 5. Mobile phones - Grameen
• Feasibility study
– Inclusivity
– Effectiveness
– Sustainability
• Two-way communication
• Business model
• Technical model for managing
location specific information

18. Future
• Scale-out
– Kenya
– Ethiopia
– Other legumes in SSA
• Implementation of mobile
dissemination and feedback